“Democracy Uprising” in the U.S.A.?: Noam Chomsky on Wisconsin’s Resistance to Assault on Public Sector, the Obama-Sanctioned Crackdown on Activists, and the Distorted Legacy of Ronald Reagan. This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: This month is the 15th anniversary of Democracy Now! On the air, and it’s a real privilege to have MIT professor, analyst, world-renowned political dissident, linguist, Noam Chomsky with us. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan Gonzalez, and we’ve been together for this whole 15 years, Juan. As we talk about this revolution that’s rolling across the Middle East, we put out to our listeners and viewers on Facebook last night that, Noam, you were going to be in. RYAN ADSERIAS: Hello, Professor Chomsky.
AMY GOODMAN: That was a question from Ryan Adserias in Madison, Wisconsin, where more than 10,000 — some say tens of thousands of people, teachers, students, are protesting in the Capitol building, schools closed, as Ryan said. NOAM CHOMSKY: It’s very interesting. The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, got a $12.5 million bonus, and his base pay was more than tripled. AMY GOODMAN: The New York Times coverage of Madison? Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership" This is a rush transcript.
Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: For reaction to the WikiLeaks documents, we’re joined now by world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, author of over a hundred books, including his latest, Hopes and Prospects. Well, 40 years ago, Noam and the late historian Howard Zinn helped government whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg edit and release the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret internal U.S. history of the Vietnam War.
Noam Chomsky joins us now from Boston. It’s good to have you back again, Noam. Why don’t we start there, before we talk about WikiLeaks. NOAM CHOMSKY: Dan and I were friends. AMY GOODMAN: So, explain, though, how it worked. NOAM CHOMSKY: From Dan and — Dan Ellsberg and Tony Russo, who had done the xeroxing and the preparation of the material, yes, directly. AMY GOODMAN: [inaudible] exactly did you edit? NOAM CHOMSKY: Well, we didn’t modify anything. [break] Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein Respond to Obama's First State of the Union. This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re broadcasting from Park City, Utah, from the headquarters of the Sundance Film Festival, the largest festival of independent cinema in the country. In his State of the Union address, President Obama renewed his criticism of the Supreme Court ruling, saying he hopes Congress passes legislation, quote, “that helps to right this wrong. " President Obama delivered his first State of the Union address Wednesday night. The President did not lay out any far-reaching new policies, but instead used the occasion to call on Congress to move forward on issues already on the agenda, including economic recovery, healthcare reform and education. A full two-thirds of the President’s seventy-minute address was devoted to the economy, the central theme of which was job creation.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Noam Chomsky on the Economy, U.S. Midterm Elections, Climate Change, Haiti, and More. Denied Entry: Israel Blocks Noam Chomsky from Entering West Bank to Deliver Speech.